


Unlucky

by topmeverse (buckybarfs)



Series: Finding Solid Ground [1]
Category: Tyranny (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, bleden mark has to teach snot nosed brats their abcs, leysa: 19 and she never learned how to fucking read, tell me how to spell knife while i throw a knife at you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 16:47:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21200900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckybarfs/pseuds/topmeverse
Summary: Another punk kid being sentenced was nothing interesting, another punk kid getting the whole ‘languish in eternal torment or get your act together and become a Fatebinder’ spiel from The Adjudicator was nothing new. Tunon liked choosing kids down and out on their luck, maybe a throwback to his own past, though nobody could be sure.Still, he wished Tunon would pick a kid who could read for once.





	Unlucky

**Author's Note:**

> howdy y'all this is my first contribution to the tyranny fandom :)

Another punk kid being sentenced was nothing interesting, another punk kid getting the whole ‘languish in eternal torment or get your act together and become a Fatebinder’ spiel from The Adjudicator was nothing new. Tunon liked choosing kids down and out on their luck, maybe a throwback to his own past, though nobody could be sure. 

Still, he wished Tunon would pick a kid who could read for once. Fatebinders were required to know how to read, anyone who served Kyros as more than a meat shield should know how to read. How else could they uphold the duties expected of them if they couldn’t read their own name, let alone a missive containing orders?

The kid fought like she was fighting for scraps which, given she’d been put before Tunon as a thief with a petulant glimmer in her eye, it’s highly likely that was what she was used to. But that wouldn’t do. Serving Kyros required a certain sense of pride, they had to be brutally efficient and fight with grace. Anything less was just dishonorable, more so because Bleden Mark himself put some effort into their training and anything less than completely deadly would reflect poorly on him.

All the kids got some time to fight with Bleden Mark, when they weren’t being taught to read by some high and mighty tutor, learning armor care from one of the court outfitters, or being lectured on laws by Tunon, Bleden Mark taught them how to wield a blade with pride. 

His newest victim--_student_\--was named Leysa, some bastard kid who’s parents had fought in armies that didn’t exist anymore. That same petulant look in her eye remained, even as he hurled words at her to spell and threw punches. She had aways to go, but she’d get there. 

Not every kid survived the training, the Fatebinders numbers were small, but those that would survive distinguished themselves early. Leysa was too stubborn to die, plain and simple. Even as he pinned her and held a blade to her neck she bucked against him and defiantly lifted her chin until the blade drew beads of blood on her neck. 

As he shifted and rolled off of her, releasing her wrists from the hold something caught his eye. She rubbed her wrists, mumbling swears under her breath and threats to get him next time but they fell upon deaf ears. 

“Can you read this?” The Archon yanked on her arm, baring her left wrist to expose the name written there. 

That same stupid look in her eye, too stubborn to die and too stubborn to relent when need be. Yeah, she’d be a great Fatebinder one day, if she was allowed to live that long. 

She lifted her chin again and he could see her physically restrain herself from cursing at him, instead deciding to keep her mouth shut. In any other circumstances, it would have been the best course of action. 

“_Can you read this?_” The second time he withheld the pleasantries, twisting her arm until it was bound to hurt, forcing her to look at the name on her wrist.

Leysa bared her teeth and yanked on her arm in a futile attempt to break free, but he held strong. If she wanted to break her arm to avoid answering his question then she could break it, he was getting an answer one way or another. 

“Answer me.”

Something akin to fear flashed in her eyes before she relented, head dipping down and teeth gnawing on her bottom lip until they drew blood. 

“Yes.” 

Oh, _no_.

“Does he know?”

“No.”

Thank the Overlord for small mercies. 

“Does anybody else know?”

“No.”

“_Good_. Keep it that way.” _For your sake as well as his_, went unsaid.

Some part of him knew he should just dispose of her right now, save himself the trouble down the line because this was bound to cause trouble. But something kept him from doing so. 

He released her wrist and rolled himself back onto his feet, offering a hand to help her up. Before getting up she gave him one last glare, pointedly yanking her sleeves back down to cover the name that had no business marring her skin.

“Again.”

They fell into their fighting stances and pretended for a time that neither of them could read.

Soulmate to The Adjudicator, it didn’t get much more unlucky than that.

**Author's Note:**

> i love feedback so much i eat it


End file.
